Water exit device for animals

ABSTRACT

An exit device including a body having a top portion and a bottom portion wherein the top portion is configured to extend above a surface of water in a water basin and the bottom portion is configured to extend below the surface of the water, the top portion and bottom portion forming a back surface configured to abut against a wall of the water basin and a sloped surface configured to extend into the water providing a ramp from below the water to approximately a top of the wall of the water basin. The exit device allows animals to exit the water basin even when the wall is too high for the animal to climb out. In some cases, the exit device will allow water to pass therethrough such as a situation where the exit device is provided to a swimming pool in front of a skimmer.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent ApplicationNo. 62/426,266 filed Nov. 24, 2016 which is hereby incorporated hereinby reference.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to an exit device, and more particularlyto an exit device to help animals exit a water basin, pond, swimmingpool or the like.

BACKGROUND

Outdoor swimming pools are often subjected to undesirable visits byanimals of various types. In particular, some animals are attracted bythe large water body and may enter into the water, either intentionallyor unintentionally, without considering how they will get out. Once ananimal enters a swimming pool, it can become trapped because the upperside walls of the swimming pool are too steep and smooth for the animalto grasp and climb. The animal will sometimes tire and drift with thewater current into the pool skimmer. Escaping the pool water through thepool skimmer well opening is difficult for the animal due to theincoming water current. Oftentimes the animal will drown in the bottomof the skimmer basket. This is both sad for the animals as well as thepool owner who has to empty the pool filter containing the dead animals.

Some devices or systems to assist animals, such as frogs, in exitingswimming pools, exist but these known devices or systems have variousproblems. For example, in some cases a platform to allow exit is locatedon the periphery of a usually very large pool. An animal stuck in thepool may not swim or drift onto the platform. Rather, an animal is morelikely to drift with the water current into the pool skimmer, remaintrapped therein and never have access to the platform.

In other cases, the platform may be too low and require an animal tojump up onto the higher pool deck. In this case, the platform may bepositioned at water level and a vertical jump may still be necessary forthe animal to reach the safety of the pool deck.

Further, another potential problem with a platform is that the waterlevel vary (e.g. the water level lowers to below the platform during dryweather and/or rises above the platform during rainy weather). If thishappens, the platform may be useless to animals trapped in the pool.

In other devices, an exit ladder may be provided in the skimmer itself.However, with these devices, the animal may already be too tired toclimb and the skimmer opening can be too small.

It is therefore desirable to provide an improved water exit device foranimals that overcomes at least some of these problems.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure relates to a water exit device for animals foruse in a water basin, such as a pond, swimming pool or the like, thatfacilitates or allows animals to exit the water basin, the water basinhaving a wall or edge circumscribing the water basin that is typicallyabove the level of the water and may be difficult for an animal that isswimming in the water to reach.

According to an aspect herein, there is provided an exit deviceincluding a body having a top portion and a bottom portion wherein thetop portion is configured to extend above a surface of water in a waterbasin and the bottom portion configured to extend below the surface ofthe water, the top portion and bottom portion forming a back surfaceconfigured to abut against a wall of the water basin and a slopedsurface configured to extend into the water providing a ramp from belowthe water to approximately a top of the wall of the water basin.

In some cases, the exit device may further include an attachmentmechanism configured to allow attachment to the wall of the water basin.

In this case or in other cases, the water basin may include a secondarywater basin where the secondary water basin is connected to the waterbasin by an aperture in the wall of the water basin, and the exit deviceis configured to cover the aperture. In one case, the water basin may bea swimming pool and the secondary water basin and the aperture may beparts of a pool skimmer.

In some cases, the exit device may be made of a porous polymer materialto provide for passage of water through the exit device, for example,between the swimming pool and the pool skimmer. Further, the exit devicemay also inhibit or prevent the passage of some non-water materialsbetween, for example, the swimming pool and the skimmer.

According to another aspect herein, there is provided a system forexiting a water basin, the system including: an exit device having aramp; and an attachment mechanism, wherein the exit device is attachableto a wall of a water basin via the attachment mechanism and the exitdevice is configured to fit adjacent to an aperture in a wall of thewater basin, the exit device extending above and below a surface ofwater in the water basin and along the wall of the water basin such thatthe exit device substantially covers the aperture within the wall, theramp extending from the wall of the water basin into the water basin toprovide a surface for an animal to climb to exit the water.

In some cases, the water basin may be a swimming pool and the aperturemay be a part of or provide access to a pool skimmer.

According to yet another aspect herein, there is provided a method ofinstalling an exit device in a water basin, the method including:attaching an attachment mechanism to a wall of a water basin; andreleasably attaching the exit device to the attachment mechanism,wherein the exit device comprises a ramp that extends above and below asurface of water in the water basin and along the wall of the waterbasin such that the exit device substantially covers an aperture withinthe wall, the ramp extending from the wall into the water basin toprovide a surface for an animal to climb to exit the water basin.

In some cases, the water basin may be a swimming pool and the aperturemay be a part of or provide access to a pool skimmer.

Other aspects and features will be apparent on a reading of thefollowing detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES

Embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described, by way ofexample only, with reference to the attached Figures.

FIG. 1 is a schematic front view of an exit device according to one ofthe embodiments described herein;

FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of the exit device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a schematic back view of the exit device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a schematic bottom view of the exit device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a schematic top view of the exit device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a photographic image of a front view of the exit device ofFIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a photographic image of a side view of the exit device of FIG.1;

FIG. 8 is a photographic image of a top view of the exit device of FIG.1;

FIG. 9 is a photographic image of a back view of the exit device of FIG.1;

FIGS. 10A to 10D are schematic views of a method of installing the exitdevice of FIG. 1; and

FIGS. 11A to 11D are photographic images of a method of installing theexit device of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Generally, there is provided an exit device (sometimes called an “exitramp”) to help an animal escape a water basin. The water basin may be apond, pool or other water feature that may be part of a residential orcommercial establishment. In particular, the water basin may be aman-made water feature having a circulation system including a skimmer.In some embodiments, the exit ramp is intended to help small animalsexit a swimming pool. It should be noted that the embodiments describedherein can be scaled to provide an exit ramp sized to help eithersmaller animals (e.g. insects, snakes, frogs, chipmunks, squirrels, andthe like) or larger animals (e.g. cats, dogs, groundhogs, and the like).In one case, the exit device may be configured for animals that weigh˜30 pounds or less.

Now referring to FIGS. 1 to 11, there is described an exit device 100according to an embodiment of the disclosure. In this case, the exitdevice 100 has a ramp shape but it will be understood that other shapesincluding tiered/stepped or the like may also be effective.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic front view of one embodiment of exit ramp 100.According to this embodiment, exit ramp 100 comprises a top portion 102,a bottom potion 104, a sloped surface 106, a back surface 108 (see FIG.2) and a bottom surface 110 (see also FIG. 2). Exit ramp 100 may alsocomprise angled surfaces 112 and 114.

Top portion 102 refers to a portion of exit ramp 100 extending out ofwater 201 of water basin 200 (e.g. above surface 204 of water 201; seeFIGS. 10D and 11D) and bottom portion 104 refers to a potion of exitramp 100 extending into water 201 of water basin 200 (e.g. below surface204 of water 201; see FIGS. 10D and 11D). Top portion 102 and bottomportion 104 can be sized similarly or can vary in size, particularly inwidth. As shown in FIGS. 1-9, top portion 102 may be substantiallysmaller (e.g. narrower) than bottom portion 104. In other embodiments ofexit ramp 100, top portion 102 and bottom portion 104 can be similarlysized or top portion 102 can be larger (e.g. wider) than bottom portion104.

Top portion 102 and bottom portion 104 co-operate to provide slopedsurface 106 (sometimes called a “ramp”). In the embodiment shown inFIGS. 1-9, sloped surface 106 extends from above surface 204 of water201 (see again FIGS. 10D and 11D) vertically down below surface 204 ofwater 201 within water basin 200. Sloped surface 106 also extends froman edge 206 of a side wall 208 of water basin 200 into water basin 200.In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-11, sloped surface 106 extends fromside wall 208 of swimming pool 200 into a swimming area (not shown) ofswimming pool 200.

Although sloped surface 106 is shown in FIGS. 1-9 as being a planarsurface (see FIG. 2), other shapes or combinations of shapes are withinthe scope of this disclosure. For example, sloped surface 106 maycomprise several surfaces (e.g. a tiered or stair-like structure) thatco-operate to extend from side wall 208 of water basin 200 and providefor animals to exit water basin 200. It is intended that sloped surface106 provides a means for an animal to climb from within water 201 ofwater basin 200 to a solid surface surrounding water basin 200 (e.g. apool deck) beyond edge 206.

In the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1-11, it is intended that slopedsurface 106 is of sufficient roughness to provide traction for an animalto climb from bottom portion 104 of exit ramp 100 (e.g. from water 201within water basin 200) to the top portion 102 of exit ramp 100 (e.g. tothe edge 206 surrounding water basin 200). It should be noted that otherembodiments contemplated herein do not require sloped surface 106 toprovide sufficient traction for an animal to climb from bottom portion104 of the exit ramp 100 to top portion 102 of the exit ramp 100.

FIG. 3 is a schematic back view of exit ramp 100. Back surface 108 alsoextends from above the surface of water (not shown) within the waterbasin 200 vertically down below the surface of water within the waterbasin 200. When exit ramp 100 is positioned within water basin 200, backsurface 108 is adjacent to side wall 208 of the water basin 200 (seeFIGS. 10A-D and 11A-D). It is intended that back surface 108 providessupport to an animal climbing sloped surface 106. As the animal climbssloped surface 106, back surface 108 contacts at least a portion of sidewall 208 of water basin 200. The structural rigidity of exit ramp 100 issuch that exit ramp 100 supports the animal.

FIG. 4 is a schematic bottom view of exit ramp 100. While base surface110 is shown as being a planar surface, other shapes or combinations ofshapes are within the scope of this disclosure. Base surface 110 isintended to be submerged in water 201 when exit ramp 100 is installed(e.g. attached, affixed, coupled, connected, etc.) on or to side wall208 or any other portion of water basin 200 (e.g. floor, steps orstairs) or a solid surface surrounding water basin 200 (e.g. a pooldeck) beyond edge 206.

FIG. 5 is a schematic top view of exit ramp 100. Although exit ramp 100is shown as generally pyramidal in shape (e.g. a generally rectangularbase with sloped surfaces extending there from towards a common peak orcommon peak line), other polygonal shapes are fully within the scope ofthis disclosure. Optional angled surfaces 112 and 114 are shown asconnecting sloped surface 106 to back surface 108.

FIGS. 6-9 show photographic images of an exemplary exit ramp 100according to the embodiment of FIG. 1.

In one embodiment, it is intended that exit ramp 100 provides animalswith a means of exiting water basin 200. Accordingly, exit ramp 100 canbe made from any material that provides exit ramp 100 with enoughstrength and structural rigidity to support an animal and issubstantially water resistant (i.e. does not structurally deform uponplacement in water). In this embodiment, exit ramp 100 can be made frommaterials such as but not limited to an appropriate plastic, plasticcomposite or the like.

In another embodiment, it is intended that exit ramp 100 providesanimals with a means of exiting water basin 200 while also providing forpassage of water 201 between water basin 200 and a secondary basin 210through ramp 100. In this embodiment (illustrated in FIGS. 10-11), sidewall 208 defines an aperture 212 that fluidly connects water basin 200to a secondary water basin 210. In some embodiments, water basin 200 isa swimming pool and the secondary water basin 210 is a pool skimmer.Exit ramp 100 can be positioned adjacent to aperture 212 to act as afilter (e.g. to facilitate the passage of water between swimming pool200 and skimmer 210 while inhibiting the passage of non-water materials(e.g. animals, leaves, branches or the like) between swimming pool 200and skimmer 210).

In another embodiment, in use, back surface 108 is positioned adjacentto aperture 212 defined by side wall 208 such that back surface 108abuts at least a portion of side wall 208 surrounding aperture 208. Inthis manner, the weight of an animal on sloped surface 106 is intendedto bias back surface 108 against side wall 208 and inhibit the movementof ramp 100 within aperture 212.

Accordingly, in one embodiment, exit ramp 100 comprises pores 120 ofsufficient diameter to allow for the passage of water therethrough andinhibit the passage of other non-water materials. Exit ramp 100 cantherefore be made from materials such as but not limited to anappropriate polymer foam (e.g. polyurethane, polyethylene, polyether, orthe like).

Also contemplated herein is a system comprising exit ramp 100 and anattachment mechanism 300. Exit ramp 100 is attachable to side wall 208of water basin 200 adjacent to secondary basin 210 defining aperture212, the exit ramp 100 extending above and below a surface 204 of waterin the pool 200 and extending horizontally in a plane defined by theside wall 208 of the pool 200 such that exit ramp 100 substantiallycovers the aperture 212 defined by the side wall 208, the exit ramp 100extending from the side wall 208 of the pool 200 to provide a ramp foranimals (e.g. up to ˜30 pounds) in the water 201 of the pool 200 toclimb to exit the pool 200.

As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, attachment mechanism 300 can releasablyattach to back surface 108 of exit ramp 100 at top portion 102.Attachment mechanism 300 can also attach to side wall 208 of water basin200 to releasably attach exit ramp 100 to side wall 208. In oneembodiment, attachment mechanism 300 may be Velcro® and exit ramp 100 ismanufactured of a material such that exit ramp 100 may releasably attachto Velcro®. In FIGS. 10 and 11, attachment means 300 is shown as atwo-sided strip, one side with Velcro® for adhering to exit ramp 100 andthe other side with an adhesive (e.g. glue) for adhering to side wall208 of water basin 200. Many other configurations are also possible forattachment means 300. For example, attachment means 300 could be anappropriate glue, epoxy or the like for adhering the exit ramp 100 tosidewall 208 or to a structure surrounding aperture 212.

It should be noted that other mechanisms of attaching exit ramp 100 towater basin are within the scope of the current disclosure. For example,attachment mechanism 300 can releasably or permanently attach to backsurface 108 of exit ramp 100 at bottom portion 104. In another example,attachment mechanism 300 can comprise multiple pieces that attach todifferent portions of exit ramp 100. Further, it is contemplated thatattachment mechanism 300 can attach to a different portion of pool 200or the surface 204 surrounding pool 200. It is intended that attachmentmechanism 300 effectively couples exit ramp 100 to basin 200 togenerally support an animal while remaining coupled to basin 200.

FIGS. 10A-D show schematics of a method 400 of installing an exit ramp100 within a water basin 200. In this embodiment, water basin 200 is aconventional swimming pool having side wall 208, top edge 206 aroundwhich is located a horizontal pool deck (not shown). The pool 200 isfilled with water 201 up to a level short of top edge 206. Aconventional skimmer opening (e.g. aperture) 212 is shown within sidewall 208 through which the water 201 may enter secondary basin 202.Aperture 212 may be provided with a hinged access door (not shown).

At FIG. 10A, step 401 shows that attachment mechanism 10A can bedetached from exit ramp 100 (e.g. back surface 108). Attachmentmechanism 300 can releasably attach to exit ramp 100.

At FIG. 10B, step 402 shows that side wall 208 of pool 200 can beprepared (e.g. cleaned and dried) for attachment of attachment mechanism300.

At FIG. 10C, step 403 shows that attachment mechanism 300 can beattached to side wall 208 of pool 200. In the embodiment shown in FIG.10C, attachment mechanism 300 is attached to side wall 208 slightlyabove aperture 212. In some embodiments, attachment mechanism 300comprises a glue or the like to attach to side wall 208.

At FIG. 10D, step 404 shows that exit ramp 100 is releasably attached toattachment mechanism 300 such that exit ramp 100 substantially coversaperture 212.

FIGS. 11A-D show images of a second embodiment of method 400. Herein,FIG. 11B shows removal of a protective strip from attachment mechanism300 to expose glue thereupon. FIGS. 11A, 11C and 11D generallycorrespond to the steps previously described in FIGS. 10A, 10C and 10D,respectively.

In use, the exit ramp 100 is intended to be positioned stably slightlybelow the surface 204 of water 200 while attached to side wall 208 ofwater basin 200. Thus, sloped surface 106 will be mostly, if notcompletely, positioned above the surface 204 of water 201. Exit ramp 100thus provides for an animal to climb out of water 201 along slopedsurface 106 and onto a solid surface beyond edge 206.

In some embodiments, attachment mechanism 300 couples exit ramp 100 toside wall 208 at top portion 102 of ramp 100. This helps provide exitramp 100 the ability to move slightly within water 201 and inhibit exitramp 100 from accidentally tilting into an inoperative position,especially under the bias of waves generated in water 201, for examplewhen swimmers are active therein.

Exit ramp 100 may be located adjacent to the pool skimmer 210, where itwill extend slightly into the pool 200 swimming area, and can benefitanimals that fall into water 201 since the water current will naturallymake them drift towards the skimmer 210. In this embodiment, exit ramp100 can be configured so that exit ramp 100 does not hamper theoperation of the pool skimmer 210. Moreover, exit ramp 100 may help thepool owner in the retraction and emptying of the screen bucketoperations by acting as a pre-filter as the screen bucket may containfewer non-water materials, thereby being easier to retrieve and empty.

Further, exit ramp 100 may be used by animals of many sizes and shapes.As bottom portion 104 of exit ramp 100 may be positioned at or belowsurface 204 of water 201, a floating animal reaching the exit ramp 100may not have to jump up to the sloped surface 106 to escape the water201 but only climb on sloped surface 106 of the exit ramp 100. Also, assloped surface 106 is inclined and elongated, if the water 201 levelrises or lowers within a certain range, the exit ramp 100 will remainoperational.

Exit ramp 100 can be used in pools 200 and with skimmer wells 210 ofdifferent sizes, within a certain range. Traditionally apertures 212between pools 200 and skimmer wells 210 are of generally the samedimensions and the exit ramp 100 can be shaped to accommodate varioussized apertures 212.

Finally, embodiments of exit ramp 100 has been shown as adapted to beused in association in conjunction with swimming pool skimmers. However,it is understood that embodiments of exit ramp 100 can be adapted to beused in other water features such as above-ground pools, fountains orthe like, with no or only minor modifications. Further, it is understoodthat exit ramp 100 can be used apart from a swimming pool skimmer.Further, it should be noted that exit ramp 100 can be scaled to supportmany different sizes of animals.

In the preceding description, for purposes of explanation, variousdetails are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding ofthe embodiments. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the artthat these specific details may not be required.

The above-described embodiments are intended to be examples only.Alterations, modifications and variations can be effected to theparticular embodiments by those of skill in the art without departingfrom the scope, which is defined solely by the claims appended hereto.

What is claimed is:
 1. An exit device comprising: a body having a topportion and a bottom portion wherein the top portion is configured toextend above a surface of water in a water basin and the bottom portionconfigured to extend below the surface of the water, the top portion andbottom portion forming a back surface configured to abut against a wallof the water basin and a sloped surface configured to extend into thewater providing a ramp from below the water to approximately a top ofthe wall of the water basin.
 2. An exit device according to claim 1,further comprising an attachment mechanism configured to allowattachment to the wall of the water basin.
 3. An exit device accordingto claim 1, wherein the water basin comprises a secondary water basin,the secondary water basin connected to the water basin by an aperture inthe wall of the water basin, and the exit device is configured to coverthe aperture.
 4. An exit device according to claim 3, wherein the waterbasin is a swimming pool and the secondary water basin and the apertureare a pool skimmer.
 5. An exit device according to claim 4, wherein theexit device is made of a porous polymer material to provide for passageof water between the swimming pool and the pool skimmer.
 6. An exitdevice according to claim 4, wherein the exit device also inhibits thepassage of non-water materials between the swimming pool and theskimmer.
 7. A system for exiting a water basin, the system comprising:an exit device having a ramp; and an attachment mechanism, wherein theexit device is attachable to a wall of a water basin via the attachmentmechanism and the exit device is configured to fit adjacent to anaperture in a wall of the water basin, the exit device extending aboveand below a surface of water in the water basin and along the wall ofthe water basin such that the exit device substantially covers theaperture within the wall, the ramp extending from the wall of the waterbasin into the water basin to provide a surface for an animal to climbto exit the water.
 8. An exit system according to claim 7, wherein thewater basin is a swimming pool and the aperture provides access to apool skimmer.
 9. A method of installing an exit device in a water basin,the method comprising: attaching an attachment mechanism to a wall of awater basin; and releasably attaching the exit device to the attachmentmechanism, wherein the exit device comprises a ramp that extends aboveand below a surface of water in the water basin and along the wall ofthe water basin such that the exit device substantially covers anaperture within the wall, the ramp extending from the wall into thewater basin to provide a surface for an animal to climb to exit thewater basin.
 10. An method according to claim 9, wherein the water basinis a swimming pool and the aperture provides access to a pool skimmer.